Hockey season has absolutely flown by, and I can’t believe another year is done and dusted.
This year we fielded two teams in the North West Sydney Women’s Hockey competition, and after a
very strong start to the season Hornsby 1 finished 6 th overall in Division A, while Hornsby 2 finished 3 rd in
Division C, missing the grand final by just one point.

There are a couple of things that I need to call out as I review this year.
Firstly, a big thank you to last year’s committee for stepping in and keeping things running after the
2022 AGM left many vacant positions. Caro and Charlotte, we appreciate the work you did along with
Steph, Sel and Robyn to care take some roles to ensure that we would be able to continue on this
season.

To Kris and Michelle, thank you for stepping up yet again to fill the vacant roles even though you had
already put your hand up to be the social committee. I appreciated you joining me to ensure we had all
committee positions covered. Your efforts along with those of Steph, Robyn, Sel and Maddie have
meant we have been able to deliver another successful season.

Coaching was a little different this year. We have be blessed in past seasons with dedicated coaches for
our teams, but this season needed to call on our own players to step in and help. Kris, Morgan, Kirsty
and Jane – thank you for ensuring we had Tuesday nights and game days covered. I really enjoyed the
times I made it to training (the Tuesday night rain curse did hit us again on a number of occasions), and I
think we all certainly appreciated the great leadership and guidance on and off the field.

This season Hornsby fielded one less team than has been the case in previous seasons, and we were not
the only club to have fewer teams than normal. The consequence of this was that the Association had
to make some quite difficult decisions around grading and numbers of divisions as well as numbers of
teams in each division. It was initially decided to go with fewer divisions, but to place more emphasis on
creating a strong Division A with eight teams instead of the normal six. The flow on effect was fewer
teams in B Division and an 8 team C Division.

For our Hornsby 1 team, the presence of more teams in Division A I think created a much better
experience for them as opposed to the 6 team Division they have played in over the past years made up
largely of Mirrabooka and UTS.

For Hornsby 2, it was a little different. As the season unfolded, there were concerns amongst some
teams around the large disparity in capability between the top and bottom teams in Division C. The
Association looked at a number of options for addressing this, an unfortunately the decision that was
made was to split the competition in two, with the top four teams remaining as Div C, while the bottom
4 created a Div D competition. At that time, Hornsby 2 was in 3 rd place, where they stayed for the rest
of the season.

While it was disappointing to have C Division reduced to just 4 teams, and the goal scoring spree the
team had been enjoying dried up a little, the quality of play from the team really improved. We
absolutely gave top team Mirrabooka a run for their money on the last 2 occasions we played them, and
did managed to vanquish 2 nd placed Ryde in our final game, coming oh so close to a grand final
appearance.

Outside of the winter comp, it was great to see so many players getting involved in summer comp to
keep fit and have some fun in the off season.

We also had a number of Hornsby players participate in the recent NSW Hockey State Masters
tournament. It is always a fun long weekend, with lots of hockey, aching muscles and good humour. This
year we had one player in a winning team, which was very exciting - congratulations Kris playing in the
o50s.

To everyone who has gotten involved this year either in a formal role or just stepping in to help out
when needed, I thank you sincerely. Michelle, Kris, Steph, Robyn, and Sel on the Committee; Caro as
Sporting Bodies delegate; Kris, Morgan, Kirsty and Jane with coaching; and all the Captains and
managers - it can only happen with lots of help and support. You have all made a genuine difference,
and I know everyone is grateful for your efforts. Thank you for volunteering your time and energy.
I am aware that a number of committee members are standing down at the forthcoming AGM. Our Club
needs an active enthusiastic committee, and many hands make light work. Please think about stepping
up to a role or considering how else you might be able to assist.

Finally, a big thank you to the Hornsby RSL Club Directors for their continued support, which has been
invaluable since the inception of our Club more than 30 years ago. It’s always a pleasure to see our Club
Patron Terry Clarke at the monthly Sporting Bodies Meetings, who is always keen to hear updates on
how we are going.

Hoping to see you all back again next year.

Virginia Meikle
Hornsby RSL Hockey Club President